Beyond the Arch

Degrees and orders that require you to be a Royal Arch Companion before Admission.

Kawatiri RA Chapter 20th April 2010

RE Comp Phil Ivamy G Lec

We all know that in order to become a Royal Arch Companion in New Zealand, you must first have taken the earlier three degrees of Antient Freemasonry being the Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason; followed by the Mark Master and Excellent Master degrees.

However I now plan to discuss those orders that are ‘Beyond the Arch’ in that they require membership of the Royal Arch prior to your admission.

The obvious place to begin is with those degrees that come under the auspicious of the SGRACNZ and are worked within Royal Arch Chapters general on an annual or biennial basis, including:

Royal Ark Mariner – where Noah’s deluge reminds us that we exist by God’s will alone; this also has a chair degree working for the Worshipful Commander Noah

Knight of the Sword – which details King Cyrus’ release of Zerubbabel to lead the Jews to Jerusalem, in which the candidate must answer the question, “Which is stronger – Wine, King or Woman”?

Knight of the East – wherein permission is granted by Cyrus’ eventual successor Darius to rebuild the temple unmolested.

Knight of the East & West – Candidate is admitted as a Knight Mason for his service.

The last three of these degrees fill in the time between the Excellent and Holy Royal Arch degrees and are sometimes referred to as the Babylonish Pass, or Red Cross of Babylon degrees.

Again there is a chair degree being that of the Most Excellent Chief

All the above degrees are worked in the Marlborough Chapter and the Trafalgar Scottish Royal Arch Chapter once a year on a rotating basis.

Following the degrees that are actually worked within Royal Arch Chapters, the next most appropriate workings are those of the Cryptic Degrees, so named after the crypt found in the Holy Royal Arch, are worked as an independent body under the governance of a Royal Arch Chapter. Hence you will find that the Cryptic Council has the same name and number as it’s ‘mother’ chapter.

Royal Master – Is based around 969BC and tells of what moved Hiram Abiff to place the Word where it is subsequently discovered in the Holy Royal Arch degree. This degree contains one of the most beautiful charges and perambulations in freemasonry.

Select Master – Details the building and functioning of the secret vault.

Super Excellent Master – Jumps forward again to 587BC and tells of how Nebuchadnezzar captures and destroys the temple and in so doing the Masters Word is lost.

The Most Excellent degree has recently been added and has an interesting discourse on the Ark of the Covenant

These degrees have recently been rejigged so that they are now worked in the correct chronological order.

Again there is a chair degree known as the Thrice Illustrious Master, and you may have seen a number of companions wearing that jewel being a trowel.

These degrees explain to a great degree the happenings of the Royal Arch and Master Masons degrees, and fill in the gaps that arise when you start to consider the stories being told.

This completes those degrees that directly relate to the legends being conveyed in the Antient Lodge and Royal Arch workings.

For many the next step is to become a Knight Templar. These are very popular degrees reenacting as they do the degree workings of the knights of old. Please note that the Masonic Knights Templar are the figurative descendants of the original Knights Templar, not the literal descendants!

To become a Knights Templar you must first have obtained the Holy Royal Arch degree. The order consists of two degrees, and a chair degree for the Prior, and are both Christian and Chivalric in character.

Knight of the Temple – Is based on the admission of a squire into the Knights Templar of old (1118-1307AD), being a Masonic reenactment of the historical knights initiation. For those that have read the conspiracy theory books you will be either relieved or disappointed to find there is no spitting on the cross or worshipping of disembodied heads!

Knight of Malta – Also known as the Mediterranean Pass as it commemorates the knights based on St Paul’s journey to Rome in approx 100AD.

In these workings the members represent the knights of old, complete with mantle, cloak and swords and were founded in their modern form around 1740. When worked properly the degrees are very impressive and moving. The sword drill displayed adds an ambience to the workings that resonate of the knights of old.

For the keen Knight Templar there is an avenue of progression to the Knight Templar Priest working. To obtain this degree the candidate must first have become a Royal Arch Mason, a Knight of the Temple and an Installed Master in the blue lodge. The degree tells of those members of the Knights Templar who then went on to become Priests to the order. The garb of the Knight Templar is added to with a Priest’s Miter. The order evolved around 1894. The Knights Priests work within a Tabernacle, and again there is a chair degree for the High Priest.

The newest side order in NZ is that of St Thomas of Acon – the Chough Chapel in Auckland was consecrated in NZ on the 20th August 2005 and is open to those members of the Knights Templar who express an interest. The original order was started in 1191, during the third crusade with the express purpose of burying Christian Knights who fell in battle in the holy land, which later transformed into an order of military monks. The St Thomas referred to is St Thomas A Beckett who was murdered by Henry II. Acon being the anglicized spelling of Acre where

the founder of the order was situated in the Holy Land. The order in its Masonic form was consecrated in 1974, but it has been in only in the last five years that it has been spread around the globe. It is unique in that it is the only English crusading order, the others being founded on the continent.

The next order to consider is the Red Cross of Constantine, being founded in their modern form in the 1780’s, this order is also Christian and Chivalric in character, and requires that you first be a Royal Arch mason. It consists of three degrees as well as a chair degree, the first degree is the Red Cross of Constantine which tells us of Constantine’s Christianization around 312/7AD; the next two degrees are worked together and are the Knight of the Holy Sepulcher which Informs us that Constantine’s mother founded this order after finding pieces of the true cross in 329AD; and the St John the Evangelist which tells of the Holy City’s time under Saracen rule. The watchwords of these degrees are faith, unity and Zeal.

The next order is that which is commonly known as the Operatives, but to give it its full name it is “The Worshipful Society of Free Masons, Rough Masons, Wallers, Slaters, Paviors, Plasterers and Bricklayers”. This order founded in its modern form in 1913, contains workings as they would have originally been held in Operative Masons lodges, around 1663AD including the Ancient Charges. Where the candidate represents a stone being squared for use in building the Temple. There is great debate as to whether these are the genuine workings as they were worked by the operative masons, or a modern reenactment.

There are four degrees (Indentured Apprentice, Fellow of the Craft, Fitter & Marker, and Setter Erector) followed by three higher degrees (Intendant Overseer Super Intendant & Warden, Passed Master and Master Mason) given to those who have met the time commitment of the degrees. To take the chair you must be a VI degree and are known as the Deputy Master Mason.

Yet another degree to consider is that of the Royal Order of Scotland, founded in 1752, the Chair is left empty awaiting the return of the lawful King of Scotland. The candidate must be a Master Mason of 5 years standing and preferably a member of the Holy Royal Arch. The degrees are Christian and Chivalric and consist of two degrees; the first the Heredom of Killwinning retells the Master

Masons degree before it was dechristianised and in rhyme, whereas the Rosy Cross is said to have founded by Robert the Bruce after the battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

Probably one of the lesser known orders require Royal Arch membership is the Allied degrees. These are a collection of five unrelated degrees (at one stage the Secret Monitor was included)from the 1879 drawn together under one body, the candidate must be a Royal Arch mason; the degrees are not required to be done in any particular order (apart from the St Lawrence which is the degree in which general business is handled). The degrees are: St Lawrence the Martyr – tells of the martyrdom of St Lawrence Knight of Constantinople – Connects Constantine with Masonry Grand Tyler of King Solomon – The accidental intrusion of workmen in the secret vault Red Cross of Babylon – The time of Cyrus & Darius (see the Cryptic degrees for an equivalent working) Grand High Priest – The Blessing of Abraham and the consecration of Aaron.

The West Coast Council of the AMD meets in Christchurch and has approx 15 members, having moved from its West Coast home in the 1990s in order to keep the Council alive.

Companions this completes the landscape of those orders that are ‘Beyond the Arch’, almost all of which are available to Companions within reach of the West Coast area, either in Nelson, Blenheim or Christchurch – I may even see you at one of the meetings!

Thank you for your attention this evening.

Copyright © P J Ivamy, SGRACNZ, 2010

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